97 replies

I have been told by dietician that no fewer than 30 calories per meal and no more than 45 per meal. Eating 60 carbs per day will mean 3 meals of 20 carbs, you could go into ketosis and that is harmful. To be healthy you should have at least 2 servings of fruit per day and that mean the rest of your meal would be protein and fat and carb free greens. This is not a balanced diet and hard to maintain. I would not follow this type of diet but go to 30 carbs per meal and only carbs high in fiber and multigrain and no more than 2 servings of fruit per day. Losing muscle is damaging, losing fat is healthy, protein high diets will make you gain back the weight if you try to eat normally and more on top of that.

When I was first diagnosed my Doc told me to eat 1800 calories a day, consume no more than 40 carbs a day and lose 50 pounds. I was 197 pounds, 5'5, 60 year old female. It was very hard for me to consume that many calories with only 40 carbs for total day. I stayed with that a while but gave up and just stopped all the white stuff, lost 20 pounds on various eating plans..vegan for 6 weeks was when I lost the weight. Gained some back and looking to limit the carbs again but will shoot for 60 this time around. Doc is no help nutritionally and thinks dieticians are paid by the food industry.

I was taking Actos, but when I started having nightmares I came off of that. My A1C is 5.7 plus I exercise every day.

No, it is not unrealistic. I use to stay at 60 when I first started doing the carb diet more than 30 yrs ago. You do it by keep track of what you want to eat and how many carbs it contains. It takes a little work but it can be done. My carb intake is at 40 and I do not eat any breads or pastas.

Before I went on insulin I was aiming for 30 a day, so yes, it can be done (tho it may not be the best thing for your overall health). But it was hard for me to eat the 1200 Calorie minimum I had to consume, and I was only able to manage it by eating more fat than I was comfortable with. Almonds were a staple, and I discovered a multigrain tortilla that didn't pop my blood sugar. Greens with olive oil and cheese, bacon and cheese omelets, half an apple at a meal, the flat whole grain sandwich thins they make now are great. There was no pasta I could eat, however, without a sharp rise in BG. Low carb can be really helpful, but pay attention to how different carbs affect YOU. We're all a bit different and you may be able to enjoy some treats even if you can't eat a single slice of white bread!

kiaya, it is hard to do but you can do it. There are good carbs and bad card. Whole grain breads and pastas are the best carbs for any one. Godd luck it is hard work but you can do it. Look at all you have done in the last week.

I suggest you need to determine what the amount is FOR YOU. I was told between 30-65 per meal. But I've found that any carb for me is bad. I have better success if I have some protein and fiber with my carbs. I limit the carbs to about 10 a meal, unless it is quinoa, and for some reason the stuff reacts the opposite for me. It is 31g of carbs and 9g of protein, yet I'm fine with it unless I grind it into flour. For me this is easy to keep carbs low, just don't eat any bread, even 100% wheat or grains.

Dear Kaiya,I am 5'3" and weigh about 117 lbs. I try to limit my daily carbs to 120 grams or under…30 at breakfast and 45 each at lunch and dinner. I started seriously limiting my carbs after reading Dr Richard Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution" about 7 or 8 years ago. It enabled me to get good/better control of my BG's. I don't bother counting calories, I just keep track of the carbs and it seems to work. Others here on DC eat fewer carbs and others more…basically, you have to determine how many carb grams are right for you. (The professionals are all over the place on this so they may not be very helpful.)Hugs,Lou

that number isn't what I was given in class. they told me 45 per meal. 3 meals a day & if the item had over 4 grams of fiber the "4" could be deducted from the carbs, because the high fiber doesn't allow the carbs to break down as fast & therefore won't spike blood sugar.

I was to snack on carrots & things between the meals to keep my sugars more level. they said it was 3 carb servings & 1 carb serving =15grams

I'm on an insulin pump and a carb is a carb, no exchanges or other garbage. I have found that whole grains and higher fiber foods definately do not raise the bs so much. The program on the pump is to simply enter the carbs you are eating and it calculates the amount of insulin. Of course, I did a lot of documenting my meals etc to get the ratios right and there are certain times when it just isn't effective, but overall its very good. Certain people react to diferent types of food differently, so you have to figure out what works for you. Far too many of the educators treat you like a machine. Do this when you eat and viola, everything is perfect. Except we are human beings with millions of things affecting us every minute of every day and no way to know for sure that you won't require less or more for whatever reason. Its a guideline and nothing else. Basically start there and adjust as needed. You will miss occasionally, but it gets better and easier.

you are correct about the carb being a carb, they were teaching us about different carbs affecting the blood sugar spikes. there have been time when the higher fiber didn't spike my sugars so I didn't need as much medication. Test & be sure — you definately don't want to drop too low or be too high.

There are days I do very well with only 30 in a day, though my usual is probably closer to 40. If I ate 30 per meal, I would be huge and have high BGs. My body doesn't require that and it would make me sick to eat it.

Keep in mind we are all individuals. She may only need 30 carbs/day. She is a small woman.

I was right on my total calorie intake. My doc says I have to get my calorie intake up to at least 1250, or else. I am looking at some of the menu plans close to that amt. But I don't eat half that C—- they call food on them…Help Please

Have you seen the discussions I posted recently about the 25 Lowest Carbohydrate Vegetables, 25 … Fruit, and another on sources of fiber in your diet? Those are the foods I eat, plus a really healthy dose of protein and healthy fats like EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), coconut oil, nuts, avocados, and other MUFAS.

I use a whey protein to bolster my protein intake. I put it in my morning coffee and use it (Vanilla flavored whey) in place of creamer/milk. Next time I'm in the kitchen, I'll check the name for you. It is quite tasty. I've tried some others that I didn't like anywhere near as well though they sounded as healthy.

I've tried several. My favorite is Whey Factors. It's described as 100% Natural Whey Protein that is non-denatured, microfilltered, and containing no growth hormones. It's also GMO free, has no artificial sweeteners, and no added sugar. An 80 calorie scoop (what I put in my coffee) has 80 calories, 2 g carbohydrates, and 15 g protein. I've also used and liked their chocolate flavor.

lol Im sorry! Im, fixing my blood sugar (45!) now so just bear with me! Yes I vebeen using a product I found on Amazon called Life Time Nutrtional Specialties Lifes Basics Plant Protein in vanilla flavor! Whew! Its not bad and its not perfect but better for me certainly. Be sure to look for the unsweetened vanilla flavor—no nasty zylitol or stevia.

I've been on Amazon, but never purchased there. I'm sure they would ship to HI, most firms do unless it is for something that is prohibited here like uninspected plants or seeds. I'll check out Down to Earth and Whole Foods to see if I can avoid shipping. The Down to Earth stores (all 5 of them) were listed on the site's store finder.

The reason I ask is because even with shipping costs, I can ALWAYS buy cheaper on Amazon then at any of the numerous health food stores in town. Whole Foods is over-priced too unless I catch something on sell :(

Me too- not impossible or unrealistic. Like ryver I could stay under 40 per day however that may have been more like 60 if looking at it realistically. The carbs you can actually count (as listed on food labels) will differ a bit from what you actually consume. We often consume more than one “serving” of any given item, or instead of 1 oz. ham on a salad we may have 1.25 oz., and even items listed as 0 carbs are actually 0 .7.All those little fractions add up.I eat pretty “primitive”, meat, vegetables, fruit, and nuts, and don’t worry about calories, and have dumped a bunch of weight also.I try to pick carbs that bring along benefits like protein (beans, eggs) rather than just empty ones (pancakes). Heres a little more info:http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/diabet...

Well, according to weight watchers you're at ideal weight, so i see nothing wrong with you eating a big ole cheeseburger (just without the bun), and a small side salad. You've got a ton of very low carb options here foodwise that work - pork chops with steamed or grilled veggies - the list is endless.

I haven't used them for a while, so I'm out of the loop. There are different types (whey protein, egg protein, cassien, soy, rice, etc.) that are designed specifically for muscle increase, weight loss, weight gain and so on. Some powders like Body Fortress whey can be gotten cheap at a local Walmart or other type store, others like slim fast can be expensive. This will be something you'll need to research for your specific diet and body type/needs. Hit dietcherry up, she knows more, or start a new thread on the subject.

Do you eat dairy? My breakfast this morning was two pieces of Light Rye Crispbread, covered with about 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt and topped with fresh strawberries and Splenda. Along with my coffee with milk, it's 30 grams of carb. For lunch, I eat a medium sized apple, sliced into 12 pieces and slathered with all natural peanut butter…that has about 37 grams of carb, depending on the actual size of the apple. For dinner, I usually have a salad of some sort…I'm not a vegan but don't eat a whole lot of meat. Last night's salad was a Greek salad with some left-over ham salad.